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ICE AGE ART AND THE BEAR CULT
THE BEAR CULT
 skinned bearIn the bear cult the bear is usually skinned and its fur, fangs, claws etc taken as power tokens. It has been remarked that the skinned bear looks very human. Look at the features in the following images! |  La Marche profileThis image is often said to show a human head. Yet it has a long snout-like face that is typical for these images. |  Bear GeissenklosterleThis image is also said to show a human figure. It is a tiny plaque, only about an inch long. Both the outline of the head and body are very bear like. The bear was the lead shaman in the bear cult and ancestor to the clan. |
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 bear paw Mas d Azil FranceHere we see an apparently human figure opposite a bear claw. Note the snoutlike face and the low seat between the two legs. |  bear mas dazil cave backThis is the reverse of the same roundel fragment. It is rarely depicted anywhere. Look at the next page to see my suggested reconstruction and interpretation. |  bear mas dazil reconstructionHere the bear is holding the figure, which is looking very bear-like in its body outline. The head looks like it is a skull with marks on the back. In the bear cult the skull and body of the bear are often treated very differently. Note that below the figure is what looks like a pregnant womb. This all ties in very nicely with bear cult mythology as it was still practiced less than 100 year ago in the arctic circle. |
 Three bears, ChauvetThese are the three bears from the Brunel Chamber at Chauvet Cave (36k BP). They probably represent the seasons (puppy, mature bear, old/fading bear). |  panel of 'panther', ChauvetThis bear is often regarded to be a hyena. In my view, the dots represent spirit energy that is linked to fur. Note the hind section of the bear which is almost human like. It is possible that the image shows a shaman in spirit transformation. The bear here is actually accompanied by two felines, one which is around the corner to the left. |  two lion and bear, ChauvetThis is another bear from Chauvet Cave. Here we clearly see the link with the two felines. In much later Sumerian mythology (6k BP) and at Chatal Huyuk (9k BP), we find images of earth/fertility goddesses flanked by two felines, suggesting some mythological link with Chauvet Cave (some 30k earlier!). |
 bear panel, ChauvetThis is a more complex image. Here we see the bear in the 'Panel of the Horse' at Chauvet Cave as a white scratching, while the other animals are mere outlines. It seems that the bear was added late to this composition, suggesting that there were phases in the decoration of this panel. |
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